Musical
by Gatirtoh
Summary: Room 114 of Wayne Private Academy is performing a musical version of Romeo and Juliet. When Robin is chosen to play Romeo, everyone assumes Starfire will play Juliet. But Raven is chosen for her superior ability... -sequel to Room 114- *RobRae* HIATUS


"Are you kidding me?" Raven asked, unimpressed.

"No, Raven," Miss Diana replied from the front of the room. "I am not kidding you. Wayne Private Academy is going to have a performance. Not everyone will have a part in the musical, but everyone will participate. Room 114 has the best students in the school, in part because you all are gifted with supernatural powers or prodigious fighting skill, and also because you are all very intelligent teenagers. This class will be perfect for the presentation of _Romeo and Juliet._" She smiled very sweetly.

The class was thrown into uproar almost immediately. Raven, of course, knew what was going to happen. Every boy was going to want to be Romeo, and every girl was going to want to be Juliet. She rolled her eyes. All this stuff about love and romanticism and everything made her ill. It was true that she got a funny feeling in her stomach when Robin looked at her, but she was pretty sure that was just nausea. She did think better of him since the Slade incident, but they weren't best buddies. The fact that he was the most sought-after boy in the school didn't help – Raven didn't want hordes of fangirls trampling her as they ran after their hero. Well, she might as well show up for the audition.

Raven did show up for the audition, and found that the audition songs were pieces from the Broadway musical _Wicked._ This was probably a good choice, because those songs required a big vocal range and poise. She watched Robin sing a relatively well-done "Dancing Through Life" as Fiyero – he'd obviously practiced. Starfire attempted to sing "Popular" but went out of key twice. Miss Diana frowned and scribbled something down on her clipboard. Beastboy sang a few garbled notes, claiming the part of Boq. Miss Diana shook her head and sighed when he wasn't looking, and smiled cheerfully when he was. Terra stepped up and very, very quietly sang some of "As Long As You're Mine," which wasn't great to begin with, and it wasn't made any better by the fact that Beastboy was singing with her.

All the boys and all the girls tried out for the same parts – Romeo and Juliet – each hoping that he or she would get lucky and get the part along with his girlfriend or her boyfriend. All of them left quietly when they were done, until only Raven was left.

Miss Diana looked up from her clipboard and noticed Raven quickly. "Well, Raven?" she asked, smiling. "Are you going to try out too?" Raven grimaced. "Well, I guess trying out for Rosaline wouldn't hurt, since she only has one line," she allowed. "All right, give me your best shot," Miss Diana encouraged. "Show me your favorite part of _Wicked_, okay?" Raven quickly selected from her memory the part of the musical that she liked best – the very awkward ballroom scene. She played it also rather awkwardly, portraying every part herself. Miss Diana smiled approvingly. "That was very good. Much better than all the other attempts at acting I saw at the acting audition – which was yesterday, I might add," she added sternly, gazing at Raven with steely blue eyes. Raven grinned sheepishly. "Now, would you like to go on to the musical audition - which actually is today?" Raven nodded. "Oh, okay, good. Don't worry about the acting thing. You did well, so I'll let it slide. Now, sing me something!" Miss Diana sat back on her heels expectantly. Raven took a deep breath, resolving to sing a bit of "No Good Deed"; it was her favorite, and she knew it almost by heart.

"Eleka Namen Namen Atum Atum Eleka Namen"

Well, that was easy. She had plenty of experience with incantations.

"Eleka Namen Namen Atum Atum Eleka Namen"

A repeat. Joys upon joys.

"Let his flesh not be torn, let his blood leave no stain, though they beat him, let him feel no pain"

Raven was beginning to realize that she was losing the ability to think.

"Let his bones never break, and however they try to destroy him, let him never die, let him never die…"

She was completely lost in the music now. No coherent thought could register in her mind.

"Eleka Namen Namen Atum Atum Eleka Namen /Eleka Namen Atum Atum Eleka… Eleka… Ah!/ What good is this chanting –?/ I don't even know what I'm reading/I don't even know what trick I ought to try/ Fiyero, where are you!/Already dead or bleeding? One more disaster I can add to my/generous supply/No good deed goes unpunished/No act of charity goes unresented/No good deed goes unpunished/That's my new creed

_My road of good intentions_/_Led where such roads always lead_/_ No good deed_/_Goes unpunished!"_

Her voice softened as she sang of things lost.

"Nessa… /Doctor Dillamond… /Fiyero… / Fiyero! / One question haunts and hurts / Too much, too much to mention/ Was I really seeking good – / Or just seeking attention? / Is that all good deeds are /When looked at with an ice-cold eye?/ If that's all good deeds are/ Maybe that's the reason why…"

Cruel bitterness entered her tone again.

"No good deed goes unpunished! / All helpful urges should be circumvented / No good deed goes unpunished / Sure, I meant well / Well, look at what 'well meant' did! / All right, enough, so be it! / So be it, then…"

She dropped her tone to almost a whisper.

"Let all Oz be agreed… / I'm Wicked through and through, / Since I cannot succeed / Fiyero, saving you – / I promise, no good deed / Will I attempt to do again – / Ever again! / No good deed / Will I do / AGAIN!"

Raven finished with such force that her throat began to hurt. "Oh," she mumbled. She hadn't even known she had that kind of volume in her. Miss Diana was speechless. When she finally found her voice, she began to talk and didn't stop. "Raven, wow," she blubbered. "Oh my gosh, that was so amazing. You are the most wonderful singer I have ever heard. Juliet's all yours. You deserve it. Go!" Giggling, she shoved Raven out the door of the audition room. "But – but I didn't even try out for Juliet!" Raven protested. "I don't want the part – ouch!" She hit her shoulder on one of the walls as she stumbled out the doorway. "Great," she growled, and shrouding her fist in dark energy, smashed a small hole in the wall. It made her feel better, and besides, she could fix it later. Shaking her head and sighing, she walked back to her locker to get her book bag.

The next day, Raven listened to the gossip with a small smile on her face. "So I know Robby-poo got Romeo," Kitten said loudly. "But who do you think got the part of Juliet?" "I don't know," Sarah said quietly, frowning in thought. "It seems like Starfire would be the obvious choice, because she's dating Robin, right? And she's a good singer, and everything…" "No, no!" Jinx cut in. "Raven got the part. I was listening. She has the most amazing voice…it has to be her. They can't cast Starfire. They _can't._" Raven smiled behind her hood at her adamant supporter. Jinx and Argent were her closest things to female friends, and Starfire too occasionally.

_Oh crud,_ she thought as she suddenly realized what playing Juliet meant. First of all, Starfire would be all upset and clingy on Robin and would shun Raven. Second, she would actually have to act like she was in freaking _love_ with Robin. Could she do that? She considered for a moment, and concluded that it was possible, if she just pretended he was her mother and didn't look into his eyes if she could help it. "How did _she_ get the part of Juliet?" Kitten hissed. Raven started, then turned to glare at her. "How could such an obvious incompetent get the part that everyone in the school wants? It's not fair. I say we teach her a lesson." "Kitten, no!" cried Sarah. "Oh, I know!" Kitten giggled. "She just wants the part so she and Robby-poo can—" A sudden, shuddering rage filled Raven. Her eyes shone white. "Finish that sentence and you suffer," she snarled. Kitten looked quite taken aback. For once she didn't have a snarky comment to make. Although the wording Raven had used was usually a universally understood joke, it wasn't when it came from her mouth. Raven was deadly serious.

Kitten took an involuntary step back, her blue eyes wide; and she stumbled on a book "accidentally" dropped on the floor by Argent. Sarah caught her, though she didn't look very happy with her so-called friend. "Kitten," Sarah accused, "you promised! You said you wouldn't do that anymore!" "Oh, shut up," Kitten snapped, and struggled to her feet. "I don't need you." Sarah looked hurt. "Well, I don't need you either! I have Cy." She hugged Cyborg, who hugged her back, looking concerned. "I thought you were my friend," she said, more quietly. Tears were clearly beginning to form in her eyes. Kitten obviously didn't care. "Well, I'm not. You're just a sappy, naïve little girl who knows nothing about the real world. I hate you." Kitten stormed out. At this Sarah really did begin to cry. Cyborg held her quietly.

Raven rolled her eyes, which had returned to normal. She felt bad for Sarah, whom she liked, but Kitten was a real piece of work. Robin suddenly walked in the room, and Raven turned to her book of Azarathean lore, pulling the hood of her dark blue sweater down over her face more firmly. "Robin!" Starfire cried, laughing. "I am glad to see you! There has been an event most astonishing. You have been chosen for the part of Roe-me-oh in the musical performance of the 114th room! Is this not wonderful?" "Yeah, Star, it's great," Robin said quietly. "Oh, and I hope I have been chosen for the part of Jewel-ie-ette in the musical performance of the 114th room! I am rather sure I have, because no one auditioned very much better than I did. But I do not wish to be overconfident. Please, sit down with me." A chair scraped; Robin was sitting down. Raven stubbornly kept her eyes on her book. _I will not glare at Robin. I will not glare at Robin. I will not glare at Robin._

"Hey, everyone!" Kole chirped. "I've got the results for the auditions!" Everyone looked up but Raven. "Oh, good, Robin got Romeo!" "Who got Juliet?" "Starfire, duh." "No, wait, look here! It's…_Raven?_" Suddenly the entire class fell silent, and Raven sensed that all eyes were on her. She couldn't help twitching slightly. Hadn't their mothers taught them staring was rude? "Raven," Robin said, and his voice was like ice. "Is it true you auditioned for the part of Juliet?" Raven shut her heavy book with a slam.

"No," she said shortly. "I didn't ask for the part. I auditioned for Rosaline. Miss Diana gave me the part of Juliet anyway." The class exploded again. "This is outrageous!" "She didn't even audition?" "No, she auditioned for a different part." "How is that even possible?" "I don't know…she must have been really good, I guess…" "You bet she was! I heard her! She has such an awesome voice! And she's a great actress!" "I don't believe that." "Well, I guess it's possible…I've never seen her act or sing… She could be really good and not even know it!" "_Raven? _How can it be _Raven?_ I thought for sure it was going to be Starfire!" "Yeah, I bet she's really disappointed. Poor girl." "That's most likely true. Watching Robin kiss Raven is going to kill her…" "I feel bad for Star…giving up her boyfriend to _Raven_, of all people…" Raven heaved a sigh, grabbed her book bag, and stalked out of the classroom. "Hey Raven, where you going?" Victor called after her. "Ditching." "You can't do that!" he protested. "Watch me," Raven countered as she turned into the hallway. She transformed into her impalpable, black-as-night Soul Self and walked casually though the wall. Ditching class just once wouldn't matter. Besides, she was reasonably certain Victor would simply tell Miss Diana that Raven hadn't been feeling well and had returned to her dorm room. After all, that was more or less true. Aside from the dorm room part.

After a day of wandering the dark streets of Jump City and incinerating a mugger or two, Raven flew back to the Academy and into her dorm room window. She swore when she saw the room had been trashed. Someone had scribbled on the wall with a Sharpie. _You cheated to get Juliet, _the note said. _Surrender the part or you'll be punished again. _Raven, using her powers, stripped the words from the walls and, guessing who had done it, sent the ink up one floor and into Kitten's room, letting the black mess seep into her pink uniform. Smiling with perverse satisfaction, Raven closed her eyes, crossed her legs and began to meditate. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Suddenly she was overcome with the desire to read a book. She gave up on meditating and grabbed the book about the wizard and the evil dragon – what were their names – Rorek and Malchior. There were some very interesting magical incantations in there. Raven resolved to use some of the nastier ones on Kitten the next time they met.

An hour later, Raven heard a screech from upstairs – Kitten had obviously discovered her now-black uniform. Raven chuckled quietly. _You get what you deserve now, rich girl,_ Raven thought nefariously. Then she sighed. She shouldn't let Anger escape her control this often. Her father would be proud. And that was not a good thing – not a good thing at all.

"Listen up, everyone!" Miss Diana said cheerfully, clapping her hands twice. "The first rehearsal for the musical is today after class. I've gotten permission from your teachers to have those of you who got parts miss next period to practice with me. Oh, this is going to be so _fun_!"

So fun.

Raven groaned.


End file.
